


I Almost Lost the Sixteen-Year-Old

by AltruisticSkittles



Series: Totally Not Despicable Dee [6]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Badass Remy, Blood, Child Logan, Child Patton, Crime Boss Janus, Emile is being assertive, Emotional Manipulation, Gaslighting, Gen, Good Noodle Emile, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Imprisonment, Janus is really tired of playing fictional chess, Logan is just trying to help Patton but it keeps backfiring, Patton also does a stupid, Physical Restraints, Using someone's account to message another person, Vague lung cancer mention, Virgil does a stupid, and Remy is laughing at Janus trying to deal with Emile, blackmailing, but they both work their way out of it sorta, child Virgil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24822265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AltruisticSkittles/pseuds/AltruisticSkittles
Summary: “You will let Virgil go.”“Mmm, no, I don’t think I will.”“You already have leverage over us. You don’t need the kid too.”“Please, Virgil came to me willingly, and after the way you’ve treated him, I can’t blame him. Threatening a sixteen-year-old with an exploding device, forcing him into the gang through intimidation, threatening him if he doesn’t listen, sending him to dangerous parts of town, and not even caring if he got shot and killed on the job? If all this is true, I’d leave too.”Janus opened his mouth to argue, but he closed it soon after. Instead, he settled for sighing heavily through his nose and clenching his jaw.
Series: Totally Not Despicable Dee [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771324
Comments: 86
Kudos: 486





	I Almost Lost the Sixteen-Year-Old

**Author's Note:**

> Part 6 woo! This was supposed to be out yesterday morning, but Ao3 wouldn't post it and I had to go to work >:v
> 
> Anyway, as always, the warnings are in the tags, so if any of that squicks you out, best not head into these waters.

To Janus’s surprise, they didn’t hear anything from Mara for a week. No emails, no planted microphones, no suspicious letters, nothing. Janus fully expected her to take them down the moment Logan walked into the building. Why would she just leave him go? Did the hacker kid truly delete everything they had on Logan? And if he did, what was stopping Mara from giving the police a “tip” about where Logan was? Janus couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t moving to strike again.

Logan, however, made it a point to avoid Janus whenever he came within thirty feet of him. Whenever Janus would come to Emile’s room, Logan would ignore his gaze and pretend he didn’t exist. When Janus walked down the hall, Logan would turn the other way. He wouldn't even ride in the elevators with him. It was driving Janus nuts. Why he didn’t know, but Logan’s disapproval stung a lot deeper than he anticipated.

Even stranger was that Janus hadn’t heard anything from Virgil in a week. It wasn’t unusual for the teen to disappear for a few days. Janus did allow him free range, and he wasn’t technically part of the gang, so he didn’t need to know where Virgil was, but Virgil always checked in with Janus when he went to an unknown place. Usually, just so Virgil would have a backup if something went south. 

Janus opened his phone for the sixth time. He stared at the last message he sent to Virgil, which was yesterday morning, telling Virgil he had an assignment. Virgil still hadn’t answered. Maybe his phone was dead. No, Virgil took good care of his electronics. Janus started to fear something darker was happening here.

That’s why he had three teams assembled to go out looking for the teen. 

“You, you’re going to check the west side. Make sure that you look in the docks. You, you’re going to the east side. Make sure you take Riley to help translate if you need it. You, you’re going to the north. I know that’s where Virgil’s from, so ask around. Maybe they’ve seen him, especially at Mrs. Callaway’s diner.”

The teams gave a nod and dispersed to start their missions. Janus flopped heavily into his chair, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Where are you, Virgil?” he mumbled to himself. The office door opened, and Janus didn’t need to look up. He sighed and asked, “Remy, anything?”

“No luck,” Remy grumbled. He flopped into the chair across from Janus’s desk. “It’s like the kid just disappeared. I don’t get it. There’s no security footage, no one saw him leave, nothing.”

“I have a feeling,” Janus started, but he didn’t continue.

“He wouldn’t be that stupid, would he?” Remy asked. Janus snorted, and Remy continued, “Yeah, I guess he would.”

“He was rather angry that I gave Logan over so easily, and you know how he is. That’s why I think we’re looking in all the wrong places.”

“But if Mara has him, why wouldn’t she be using him against us by now?”

“Because there’s nothing tying him to us. He’s just some kid that would’ve showed up to save Logan.” Janus shrugged. “I mean, I could be wrong, but-”

A knock on the door froze both Remy and Janus. Janus looked at the monitor on his desk and sighed through his nose. “Enter.”

Emile opened the door and closed it behind him. His jaw was visibly clenched, and his eyes held such a livid stare in them that Janus got chills.

“Emile,” Janus said as he folded his fingers. “What do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“You have someone downstairs to see you,” Emile said, his voice clipped as he restrained himself from yelling. “Now.”

Janus sent a glance at Remy before he stood from his chair. The three men walked out of the office and rode the elevator down. Janus set his shoulders as he entered the lobby, ready to greet whoever ruffled Emile’s feathers so much with intimidation.

He was not ready for Mara to be standing in his lobby, her body wrapped up in a familiar purple patched jacket that very much belonged to Virgil.

“Mara,” Janus said, keeping his voice even and controlled. “To what do I owe a direct visit from you?”

“Oh, Janus,” Mara said, her lips curling up into a smile. “For a minute, I thought for sure you were going to ignore me.”

“What do you want?” Janus asked again.

“Pushy, pushy.” She clicked her tongue. “Whatever happened to a “hey how are you”?”

Janus narrowed his eyes. He watched Mara snuggle into the jacket, her nose taking a deep breath. He swallowed his anger back down his throat. He couldn’t say the same for Remy, who looked three seconds to lunging at Mara and ripping her arms off.

“Do you like my new jacket?” Mara asked. “It’s an old hand-me-down from what I understand. Hand-stitched by a very thankful old lady who had a kitten stuck in a tree.”

Janus put a warning hand on Remy’s shoulder, but he couldn’t stop Remy from yelling, “Where is Virgil, you bitch?”

“Rude,” Mara remarked. She turned her attention to Janus. “Are you going to let him speak to me like that?”

“You know I can't control what comes out of Remy’s mouth,” Janus replied. Still, he sent Remy a warning glance to be quiet and let him be the diplomat.

Mara clicked her tongue and shook her head. “A pity. These people used to fear you when I was here, but I guess you’ve gotten too soft lately.”

“What do you want, Mara?” Janus asked again, a little sterner.

Mara’s eyes glinted. She rolled her shoulders and replied, “I want to know how Logan’s doing. I was awful nice to him, and he repays me by running off.”

Emile spoke up this time, “You mean you forced him to go with you.”

“I never made Logan do a single thing. Janus was the one who decided his fate.” Her eyes flicked to Janus once again. “He was the one who traded your kid, not me.”

“Logan is not your concern anymore,” Janus responded.

“Can’t I just say I liked the kid? He’s bright and has a future ahead of him, unlike you three. Because, you know, that information I have-”

“No, you don’t.”

“I don’t?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard? It was deleted-”

Mara held up a flash drive in her hand and waved it. Her eyebrow quirked, and her lips pulled into a smile, “You mean, these files? The ones that my hacker was so nice to download into his computer, and then I copied because I know how morally stupid he is and would probably delete it once he talked to Logan? You really think I would leave all my playing cards in the hands of a fourteen-year-old kid?”

Mara threw the USB into the air. Janus caught it in the palm of his hand and stared at it.

Mara continued, “You didn’t let me finish. You know that information I have doesn’t include anything about Logan, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s not worth using him against you. Too much work. Give it to Logan for me, would you? Tell him he can keep this copy as a souvenir if he likes, or just delete the files off of it to make himself feel better. I don’t care. Just know that you all aren’t as ahead of the game as you think you are, and I'm already bored of playing that game. As far as I’m concerned, I already won anyway.”

With that, Mara turned on a heel and walked toward the front door.

“Now wait a minute,” Remy snapped. Mara paused at the doorway but didn’t turn to face him. “Where is Virgil?”

“Who?” Mara rose a brow.

“You know damn well who I mean.”

“I honestly can’t say I do.” Mara did turn this time, a wide grin on her face. 

Remy moved before Janus could stop him. He grabbed onto the sides of Virgil’s jacket and pulled Mara close until he was inches from her face. Mara didn’t look shaken whatsoever. In fact, her grin seemed to widen.

“Well, maybe I _might_ know who he is if you jog my memory. Hmm, let me think. Virgil. Would he happen to be about my height, wears eyeshadow to make him look dead, thinks emo music is a personality trait, that Virgil? I might have seen him around.”

Remy curled his lip. 

Mara looked over at Janus, a fake pout gracing her lips, and continued, “Janus, are you going to let him treat me this way? I’d hate for my team to find out that I was hurt here. They might try to get even.”

“Remy,” Janus growled through his teeth, “let her go.”

“You can’t be serious-”

“Drop her.”

Remy dropped Mara like she burned him and backed up. His eyes never left her, and neither did his angry expression. Mara straightened out Virgil’s jacket and sighed through her nose.

“Thank you for being a gentleman for once,” she shot. Remy stiffened at the insult, and this time, Janus spoke up.

“You will let Virgil go.”

“Mmm, no, I don’t think I will.”

“You already have leverage over us. You don’t need the kid too.”

“Please, Virgil came to me willingly, and after the way you’ve treated him, I can’t blame him. Threatening a sixteen-year-old with an exploding device, forcing him into the gang through intimidation, threatening him if he doesn’t listen, sending him to dangerous parts of town, and not even caring if he got shot and killed on the job? If all this is true, I’d leave too.”

Janus opened his mouth to argue, but he closed it soon after. Instead, he settled for sighing heavily through his nose and clenching his jaw.

Finished with the conversation, Mara excused herself to the door. However, she did call out over her shoulder, “Though, I’m not opposed to convincing him to come back if the right price is given. When you’re ready to trade with me, let me know.”

With that, she walked out of the rotating door and disappeared into a black car.

“Fucking god damn it,” Remy screamed as he threw his sunglasses onto the floor. Miraculously, they didn’t shatter. He pressed his palms into his eyes and took a deep breath through his teeth. “I knew it. I knew she had him.”

“We can’t just leave him with her,” Emile chimed in. “Janus, we have to do something. He could be hurt, or worse-”

“I’m thinking,” Janus hissed. He took his hat off and scratched his fingers through his hair. After a moment of thought, he turned and hit the elevator button. “I’m going to call off the search parties. If she really does have Virgil, I need to come up with some sort of plan to get him back as unharmed as possible, which is going to be delightfully challenging.”

“What about Logan? Are we going to tell him-”

“No. Neither of you are to mention this to Logan or anyone else. I do not want any other stupid reckless acts of heroism, do you hear me? None. Even from you two.” 

Janus dropped the flash drive and stomped on it with his heel until it broke. Remy and Emile glanced between each other but didn’t comment further. Janus waited for the doors to slide open and stood inside. After the doors shut, he sagged against the elevator and let out a long breath.

“Lord help me, Virgil,” Janus mumbled. He covered his face with his hands. “If you’ve gotten yourself hurt I’m never going to forgive you for this.”

* * *

For another week, Janus deflected any questions about Virgil. As far as Janus let on, he brushed the kid clean from his hands. Virgil went back to living on the streets, and Janus let him without a fuss. Janus explained that he forgave Virgil for his past actions, and the teen was free to live his life in peace without being called in by the crime boss ever again.

Not that everyone bought it, but he tried.

The twins were a particularly hard sell. They would constantly ask questions as to why their favorite babysitter just disappeared at the drop of a hat. Remus took it surprisingly harder than Roman. In fact, Remus’s ticks started to act up again, and Janus suspected it had to do with thoughts of finding Virgil dead on the street.

Logan still avoided Janus at every turn, but from what Emile told him, Logan asked a lot of questions about Virgil’s whereabouts. Apparently, he couldn’t believe someone who was being forced into the gang wanted to leave.

At least, he thought that Logan was avoiding him until Logan stormed into his office. Janus lowered the gun he reflexively pointed at the door, ignoring how Logan nearly dove out of the doorway to get to safety.

“Logan, I believe I’ve warned you to knock,” Janus said with a long sigh. “I would hate to accidentally shoot you.”

Logan peeked out from the wall and straightened his tie. He said, “Yes, I do recall you mentioned it once or twice.”

“So, what do I owe the visit? I thought you hated me.”

Logan twisted his tie in his hands as if all the words he had prepared were escaping and he was trying to hold onto them. Janus rose a brow. After Logan opened his mouth and closed it, he cleared his throat and explained himself.

“I’ve been… keeping in contact with the person who hacked into our accounts.”

The confident grin slipped from Janus’s face, and Janus leaned forward in his chair. “You what?”

“After I escaped, all I’ve wanted to do was release Patton. From what I understood, Mara was holding Patton’s grandmother over him, and I did not think he was there of his own free will. At least, that was my theory. So, I contacted him from the twitter account Virgil had prior messaged him from, and-”

“Wait, wait, you’re telling me that Virgil was messaging this kid?”

“Yes.”

“Logan, how long was Virgil in contact with this kid?”

“From what I understand, a few days before… uh… the virus took over our systems.”

“I knew it. It was him, wasn’t it?” Janus snapped. He banged his hands down on the table, making Logan jump. “Virgil set us all up.”

“Wait, you’ve misunderstood-”

“No, I think I understand plenty now. Mara was right. Virgil sold us out by planting that virus into our computers and then leaves. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him.”

“Wait, you’re assuming-”

“No, Logan, I’m not assuming anything. Virgil went to Mara’s side. She even came in here to gloat, and I was stupid enough to let him in. I knew it. I said no more kids, and I meant it. You’re all unpredictable, and I-”

“Virgil didn’t install the virus into our systems.”

That caught Janus’s attention. He narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, noticing how Logan would no longer maintain eye contact with him.

“What do you mean, Logan?” Janus asked.

“I… when Virgil left me alone in his room, I caught a conversation he was having with a certain fan of mine, who I later found out to be Patton. Virgil confronted him and said to stop looking for me, and Patton… sent him the virus link. Virgil responded that he wasn’t stupid enough to fall for a trick like that, but I was… curious.”

“Logan, you’re the one who let Patton into our systems?”

“And I regret it, wholeheartedly. I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble, and had I known that Patton planted a virus in the link, I would’ve never clicked on it. I’m sorry.”

Janus watched as Logan shrunk deeper into his chair, shielding himself. Shying away. Afraid of what Janus was going to say next. Afraid of what Janus was going to do to him next. Janus let all the tension out of his shoulders and cracked his neck.

“Logan,” Janus didn’t miss the way Logan visibly flinched, “You’re very brave to have told me that.”

Logan’s head popped up, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it soon after.

Janus continued, “I’ll admit, I’m mad, but I’m not going to punish you for it.”

“You’re… not?”

“No. However, I don’t want any more secrets, got it? If you are in contact with this Patton kid, I want to know about it. I want to see all the messages you’ve sent back and forth, and I want to know if Virgil is really there through his own will or if he’s being held captive.”

“From what Patton has told me recently, he was aware of Virgil’s presence in the building the night he set me free. In fact, he used the guard’s distraction when Virgil entered as a means to get me out. That’s why he stayed behind, as well as realizing that his computer wasn’t the only place Mara had the downloaded information.”

“Alright, so this Patton kid is on our side,” Janus rubbed his chin with his index finger. “We could definitely use a spy on the inside. What is this kid’s goal?”

“Patton said that he merely wants to right the wrongs he’s committed, and he believes that won’t be finished until Virgil is walking free.”

“Good.” Janus stood from his chair. Logan swallowed thickly, but Janus went nowhere near him. He instead opened the door. “Come. We’re both going to Virgil's room to speak to this kid.”

"Now?" 

"Now."

Logan slowly stood from his chair. He hurried past Janus, and Janus closed the door behind them.

* * *

_Cringefest04: Greetings, Patton. I was wondering how you are doing today._

_Punstar5000: LOGAN HI!!!! :D <3 <3 <3_

_Punstar5000: sorrry caps lock :/_

_Punstar5000: anyway, what’s up? :o_

_Cringefest04: I would like to know Virgil’s whereabouts if you are able to disclose that information to me. I am aware of how risky it is, but I need to know that my friend is unharmed._

_Punstar5000: for you I’d take a bullet_

_Cringefest04: Please don’t._

_Punstar5000: haha jk ;P_

_Punstar5000: or am I? ;P_

_Cringefest04: Please, Patton, this is a matter of importance. Be serious._

_Punstar5000: okay okay can do got it yeah I was just kidding anyway haha_

_Punstar5000: but really I don’t know where Virgil is, I’m sorry :(_

_Cringefest04: Is there any way you would be able to search for him and get back to me?_

_Punstar5000: hmm idk I could try_

_Punstar5000: Mara’s mad at me :(_

_Cringefest04: I’m sorry if I caused you any grievance due to my actions._

_Punstar5000: lol no don’t apologize you’re so sexy haha_

_Cringefest04: I’m unsure of what this means_

_Punstar5000: nevermind jk :P_

_Punstar5000: anyway, yeah, I can look around for you and see if I can find Virigil_

_Punstar5000: *Virigl_

_Punstar5000: indvcpoiauwepraiuneriah_

_Punstar5000: *Virgil_

_Punstar5000: :P_

_Cringefest04: Thank you so much, Patton. You have no idea what this means to me_

_Punstar5000: yeah cool cool I’ll get right on that okay see you later lolo <3 <3_

* * *

Patton logged off his Twitter page and ran his hands over his eyes. He leaned back in his computer chair and let out a long sigh through his nose. After looking over his shoulder at a door he was sure was still locked from the outside, he moved through his files to pick up the security footage feed.

So far, fifty-seven of the monitors didn’t show any signs of Virgil. 

Patton pressed his folded fingers to his lips. If Virgil was still here, which Patton didn’t know where Mara could’ve moved him without Patton knowing, she was hiding him very well. He didn’t see or hear anything from Virgil since that night, and it’d been two weeks.

Patton’s eyes darted between monitors. So far, the guards were in all their regular positions. No one was out of place. Patton sighed through his nose and took a swig of his milk. If he wanted to make this up to Logan, he was going to have to dig deeper.

The headphones lifted off his ears, and Patton jumped. He looked up and caught Mara standing over him. A stiff smile spread across his lips.

“Oh, hello,” Patton greeted. 

“Good morning, Patton.” Mara’s smile was soft, too soft. She put the headphones off to the side of Patton’s computer and leaned against the desk. “And what’s my favorite little nerd up to this morning?”

“Oh, uh, just checking on the security monitors for anything strange. You know. The usual,” Patton explained. Mara hummed. She played with the headphone cord between her fingers. Patton continued, “I like your new jacket.”

“Thank you,” Mara said with a smile. “A friend gave it to me.”

“Oh? That’s so nice.”

Mara nodded. She turned Patton’s chair around with her foot so he was facing the door. “Would you mind going for a little walk with me? I want to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, sure,” Patton said as he jumped out of the chair. He brushed the cookie crumbs off his shirt.

Mara walked behind Patton with a hand between his shoulder blades. Patton’s throat dried out. Something was wrong. Something wasn’t right. The last time Mara took Patton out of his room, it was to confront him about what happened to Logan. Patton lost his cookie privileges for a week. Not that it was the worst punishment in his life, but Patton definitely realized everything he had could easily be taken away whenever Mara wanted.

As they traveled along, two men started to follow behind them. All of Patton’s instincts screamed for him to run, but he decided against it. Mara was nice. She wouldn’t lead him into a dangerous trap. Would she? 

Yeah, nice like how she forced Logan to come here. Nice like how she tricked Patton to find Logan and take him out of the protection program he was in. Nice like how she probably still had Virgil around here somewhere.

Mara led him to a room with a passcode (as if that would keep Patton out) and typed in a combination before inserting a special key. The door hissed as it opened. Mara led Patton down a wooden staircase lit by fluorescent light. As they neared the bottom of the stairs, Mara flipped a light switch on and illuminated the new room.

There were no windows and no doors. The room temperature was much colder than it was upstairs, causing Patton to shiver. A concrete floor covered the ground, and the walls were made of thick white plaster.

Sitting in the middle of the floor was a boy shivering in a ratty short-sleeved black shirt. His eyes looked even darker under the high light above him, and he tried to set his jaw into a defensive growl, though his teeth didn’t stop chattering. His hands were cuffed between the chair rungs behind him. 

Mara’s hand came down heavy on Patton’s shoulder, and Patton jumped at the sharp contact. He looked up at her.

“Patton, I’d like to introduce you to Virgil,” Mara explained, “but you might know him better as Cringefest04. Virgil, I’d like you to officially meet Punstar5000.”

Patton’s stomach dropped. He couldn’t swallow the lump rising in his throat. She knew.

Virgil’s eyes narrowed on Patton, and he curled his lip. He snarled, “You were that kid after Logan. You’re the one who got him into this mess.”

“Now, now,” Mara soothed. “It’s not all Patton’s fault. He did succeed in getting Logan out of here, after all, so I guess the little goody-two-shoes is on your side.”

Virgil’s eyes flickered from Mara to Patton, and he sucked in a breath. He watched as Mara’s hand squeezed the back of Patton’s neck, her nails not quite digging into the skin but enough to pinch.

She continued, “But, I can’t have him giving you up too, so I’m just going to have to make sure he doesn’t get in my way.”

The two men following them grabbed both of Patton’s arms. Patton turned his head toward Mara to protest, but the words never left his lips. The two goons pushed him into a chair behind Virgil, bringing his hands behind him and securing them in their own set of handcuffs. Patton pulled to try and free himself, but they already latched the locks on the handcuffs together.

“Please, Mara, I’m sorry-”

“No, you’re not. But you’re going to be.” Mara clicked her tongue. “I had such faith in you, Patton, but here you are hacking into my security cameras and fraternizing with the enemy. You took my kindness and spat in my face. Didn’t I give you everything you asked? Was I not supportive enough?”

“I’m sorry,” Patton repeated again, his eyes lining with ears. “Please, I didn’t mean to make you so mad.”

Mara cupped his cheeks in her hands and brushed the tears away. Her voice dipped into a sugar-sweet, patronizing coo. “Oh, Patton, sweetheart, I’m sure you didn’t. You were just so excited to please your crush you weren’t thinking straight, right? I get it. I would’ve done the same thing.”

Patton relaxed in her grip for a moment. He closed his eyes, letting two tears fall down his cheeks.

Mara continued in a less soothing voice, “That’s why I’m going to break your heart for your own good.”

Mara’s hands left Patton’s cheeks, and she stood, her face twisted into a cold grimace. Patton watched as she walked toward the light to the basement and put her finger on the light switch.

“No, wait, I won’t talk to him again. I won’t-”

“Oh, I know you won't, sweetheart, because, by the time I let you out of here, Logan’s going to hate you both.”

With that, Mara turned the light switch off, leaving both Patton and Virgil in the dark.

* * *

_Cringefest04: Hello Patton. Is there any news on Virgil?_

_Punstar5000: Hey Logan. I guess I got what I was looking for_

_Cringefest04: And? I’m sorry to be rude but it’s been nearly 10 minutes since you’ve responded and I’m worried._

_Punstar5000: He’s here_

_Cringefest04: Is he unharmed?_

_Punstar5000: He’s fine_

_Punstar5000: But Logan_

_Punstar5000: Why didn’t you tell me :(_

_Cringefest04: Tell you what? I’m not sure I’m following your line of logic._

_Punstar5000: How awful they were to him there :(_

_Punstar5000: How they threatened him and locked him up and made him do their dirty work_

_Punstar5000: I thought this place was supposed to be a good place_

_Cringefest04: I’m not sure of what you’re talking about. Are you sure you’ve talked to Virgil?_

_Punstar5000: Eyeshadow, black hair, gray eyes, pretty sure his name is Virgil_

_Punstar5000: He said he was done working for Janus and wanted to work here_

_Punstar5000: And that Mara was trying to save you_

_Punstar5000: How could you lie to me :(_

_Punstar5000: I trusted you :(_

_Cringefest04: I’m sorry, Patton, but I’m sure there is a misunderstanding somewhere. Is there any way I can get into contact with Virgil? I still feel as if there’s a piece of the puzzle missing._

_Punstar5000: No, you leave him and me alone >:(_

_Punstar5000: I don’t ever want to talk to you again_

_Punstar5000: I hate you >:P_

_*you have been blocked by Punstar5000*_

* * *

Logan blinked at the screen, wondering if what he read was right. Did he offend Patton somehow? Was there some sort of secret message hidden in it? Why did Patton get so defensive all of the sudden?

Janus leaned over Logan’s- Virgil’s computer chair and hummed. He mumbled, “Well, that was fun.”

“I don’t understand,” Logan responded. He chewed on his lip. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Logan, I think you did everything right.” Janus studied the text on the screen, and he pursed his lips. “Scroll up. I want to read some of your past conversations.”

Logan did as he was told. “I’m telling you, Janus, there is no clue of past hostility and no reason for Patton to behave this way. He and I were on the same page until today. The only thing I can think of is whatever Mara said is true, and Virgil did in fact leave us for her, and if that’s the case, his words may have negatively affected Patton.”

“Scroll back down so I can read what Patton just sent.”

Logan swallowed the bitter bite in his throat. Hadn’t Janus paid any attention to him at all? Nevertheless, he did as he was told with a sigh.

Janus was silent for a second before he mumbled, “I thought so. That’s not Patton.”

“What do you mean it’s not Patton? How can you be sure?”

“Look at the stuff he sent before. Looking over him excusing whenever you made a mistake, the use of emojis and capitalization is different. The stuff just sent now was too serious, too calculated. Also, there’s no typos.”

Logan’s eyes widened as he looked back at the screen. Sure enough, what Janus said was true. There was a noticeable difference between the last messages Patton sent and the ones they received now. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Janus answered, “that Mara knows about you and Patton talking back and forth to each other.”

Panic lit in Logan’s chest. “Do you think she merely messaged me on his computer or it was something else? Would she hurt him? How long has she known?”

“I don’t know.” Janus rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger until he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mara was always skeptical of everyone. She has a lot of trust issues, so her nose is always in everyone’s business. Plus, I’m sure she would have her eyes on Patton with what happened to you.”

“Do you think she would harm him?”

Janus shrugged. “Directly, probably not. Mara’s got a thing about abusing kids, just like I do. She might, however, make life a little unpleasant until he starts to listen to her again.”

“And that’s different from child abuse how?”

“Because it’s not abuse if she’s teaching him a lesson, apparently,” Janus said with a shrug. He stood from behind Logan’s computer. “That’s it.”

“What’s it?”

“I’m tired of playing this game with her. I’m going to confront her myself.”

“I’m not sure if that’s wise-”

“What else can I do?” Janus asked a little harsher than he meant. “Mara is making sure that I’m the one who comes for Virgil. And the sick part is, it’s just for her own amusement. She couldn't care less what happens as long as it makes someone miserable.”

“Well, she certainly knows just how to get under your skin then,” Logan mumbled. He looked back at the screen and stared at the block message. His heart ached. “And everyone else apparently.”

“She’s always been good at that. Emotional manipulation was always her favorite game.”

The hidden message in that sentence didn’t go over Logan’s head, and he swallowed the bitterness Janus spat out of his own throat. Janus walked out of Virgil’s room and down the hall. Logan turned back to the computer screen, the words “I hate you” burning into his brain.

Well, it wasn’t the worst thing someone ever said to him.

* * *

“Stop. You’re gonna scratch your wrists open. Besides, the jingling is giving me a headache.”

Patton stopped and fell against his chair with a heavy sigh. He blinked the tears out of his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. For a moment, the silence almost eased the tension in the room.

“I can’t believe I was this stupid,” Patton mumbled. He let out a long sigh. “How could I let her trick me like this?”

“Eh, don’t beat yourself up too much. You’re not the one who thought he could break into a guarded mansion and break someone out.”

“But at least you were doing the right thing. You knew in your heart that it was the right thing to do. Don’t speak badly of yourself.”

“Well, if I’m not allowed, neither are you.”

Patton grew silent at that. He took in a large breath through his mouth and released it through his nose. He wished he could clean the smudge marks and tear stains off his glasses.

After a few seconds, Virgil continued, “I guess it’s finally nice to meet Logan’s obsessed fan.”

Patton flinched. He mumbled, “I’m not obsessed. Just… I like him a lot.”

“You don’t even know him, Patton.”

“Yes, I do! I know that his birthday is November third and his favorite drink is coffee with a little bit of chocolate and he is allergic to peanuts and he had a pet betta fish named Aurora and his favorite color is navy and his-”

“Yeah, you know _facts_ about Logan Star, but what about Logan? What song does he fall asleep to? Who means the most in the world to him? Where does he go when he’s scared and doesn’t know who to talk to? What’s he like when he’s angry? How long does it take for him to form an answer in his head before he speaks? Did you even know Star isn’t his last name?”

Patton’s silence confirmed Virgil’s answer. Virgil took a deep breath and continued, “I know you like Logan a lot. It’s cool when you can find someone who understands you, you know? But you’re not really in love with Logan. You’re in love with the idea of Logan.”

“I didn’t know there was a difference,” Patton mumbled.

“It’s fine. Not many people do.” Virgil shrugged. He sighed through his nose and said, “You know that feeling when you see a cute dog for sale and decide it’s yours now? That’s kinda how you’re treating Logan. He’s for your entertainment.”

“No,” Patton shot back, “that’s not at all why I like Logan! I like how his nose wrinkles when he makes a mistake, and how he smiles at all the end of his videos, and how he always asks how I’m doing at the start of a video, and-”

“So you like him because he makes you feel good.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, valid. Very valid. But what happens when Logan says he doesn’t like you?”

“Well… I guess I’d be crushed.” Patton sighed. “I don’t want to think about that.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“No, why, Patton?”

Patton hesitated for a minute. “Because I… I like him too much to find out he hates me.”

Virgil sighed through his nose. He thought for a few minutes before he switched tactics. “Alright, say I’m you and you’re Logan. I start messaging you about how much I love you and that I’ve been looking for you and I know things about you that you never wanted to share online. How would that make you feel?”

“Flattered.”

Virgil let his head tap against the back of his chair. “Okay. Uh, you know what? Nevermind. I’ll just… let’s talk about something else.”

“Like what?”

“Well, how about a little about you. Why are you here with Mara?”

“Oh! Uh, well she asked me to look for Logan for her.”

“And you agreed because you wanted to find Logan too.”

“I wanted to make sure he was okay. He just disappeared off the face of the earth, and his parents were telling everyone how much they missed him and how they couldn't believe someone would do such a horrible thing and… I believe every word of it.”

“See? Not everything you see is true. Sometimes people put on an act.”

Patton didn’t comment on that. Instead, he continued, “I was trying to find jobs to help pay for my, uh, my grandma because she’s really sick right now. She’s in the hospital because her lungs are failing.”

“Shit, dude, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. She smoked for a long time, so she knew it was coming. But the insurance isn’t covering much, so we’re in a lot of debt right now.”

“What about your parents?” 

“Well, I never met my dad. He got my mom pregnant when she was seventeen, and he didn’t want anything to do with me. My mom had me by choice. But, she found it was hard to support me and herself, so she gave custody to my grandma so I could have the best life I could. Then, my... my uh, my… grandpa! My grandpa got transferred to an American company, and we all moved here. It was hard to say goodbye to my mom, but we chat a lot online.”

“So what about your grandpa? What’s he doing now”

“He’s doing everything he can, but it’s still not enough. He has to choose between groceries and paying rent a lot, and we can’t leave because of my grandma’s condition.”

“And that’s when you met Mara, who happened to give you everything you wanted.”

“Yeah. She even offered to take me in so my grandpa wouldn’t have to worry about feeding me and stuff. She made it so easy for us. And she started paying for my grandma immediately, even getting her a better doctor and… and I’m so afraid now that I made her mad that she’s going to stop, and I can’t… I don’t want… I’m sorry, I don’t mean to cry.”

“Hey, Patton, it’s okay. You’re scared, I get it. I’d be pretty scared too.” Patton hummed in response. “But Patton, it’s not your job to help your grandparents. You’re only fourteen years old-”

“But I can help them. I’m not a kid.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean you should.”

“I just can’t afford to sit around and watch them, Virgil. It’s my problem too. They’re my family. I had to do something.”

Virgil snorted. “There’s no arguing with you, is there?”

“Like Vovó says, I’m not letting the shuttlecock fall.”

“I… don’t think I’ve ever heard a phrase like that, Pat.”

“Oh, uh, maybe that’s because it’s a Portuguese saying and not an English saying.”

Virgil tested the bonds around his wrist, still unable to slip it over his thumb. He sighed through his nose and shook his head. “I don’t suppose you have something to pick a lock with, do you?”

“Um,” Patton thought for a moment. “Wait, wait! I might! Can you pick a lock with a bobby pin?”

“Sure can.” He paused. “Usually.”

“If you can reach into my hair, I have a bobby pin in my bangs on the right side.”

“Alright, cool. Lean down as close as you can to my hands.”

Patton bent to the right, moving his head down over the side of the chair. Virgil stretched his right arm all the way out between the rungs and fished for Patton’s hair. Having no light was a bit more difficult than he thought it would be. His fingers met curls, and he tried not to pull Patton’s hair as he felt around for the bobby pin.

Wait! There it was!

Virgil pulled, not missing the way Patton sucked in a breath as he yanked a few of Patton’s hairs out by accident. “Sorry.”

“Ah, it’s okay. They’ll grow back. I’m just happy I decided not to wear hair gel today.”

“You and me both,” Virgil replied. Now, hopefully, he didn’t drop it. He bent the bobby pin to the way he needed it and poked around for the lock. Virgil didn’t know if it was a single or a double lock, but he was about to find out. The key didn’t hit any double lock, so Virgil knew it was easy picking. Within minutes, he had the cuffs falling from his wrists. “I’m out!”

“Way to go, kiddo!”

“I’m older than you.”

“Oh.”

Virgil felt the damage he did to his wrists the past two weeks. Scabs formed over the spots he broke, and some were wet from being opened. Hopefully, nothing was infected. He moved the chair from his spot, felt around for Patton’s wrists, and began working at Patton’s cuffs. 

“Hey, Virgil, what does “kiddo” mean?”

“It means, uh, like little kid. You know, like what you would call someone who’s ten years younger than you I guess.”

“Oh. No wonder Logan got mad when I called him that. I thought since I heard someone call him that on your security cameras that it was a nickname.”

The first latch fell free. Virgil paused a moment before he picked the other lock. “Logan doesn’t like it when anyone patronizes him. The only one who can get away with pet names for him is Emile, and you’ll meet him later.”

“Wait, I’ll meet who later?”

“Emile. And Remy. And Roman and Remus and Cassie and Nancy and-”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m taking you to Janus.”

“Wh-what? No, I- I do think- I don’t think- bad idea-”

“Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay. He’ll protect you, I’m sure of it.”

“What makes you so sure?”

The second lock clicked open, and Virgil threw Patton’s cuffs as far away from Patton as he could get them. They made a satisfying clunk on the wall and fell to the ground. Patton pulled his wrists through the chair rungs and rubbed them. He stood and faced Virgil, or at least where he thought Virgil was, keeping his fear swallowed down his throat. 

“Because,” Virgil answered at last, “I literally stole from Janus, and he took me in. You stole from him then did what you could to make it right, so I’m pretty sure he’ll cut you some slack.”

“But what about my grandma? If I leave… I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen.”

Virgil sighed through his nose. “I can’t solve that problem, and neither can you if you stay here. She’s only going to use you to do more horrible things. We’ll think of something to help your Vovo, I promise.”

Patton sighed through his nose and nodded his head. He took Virgil’s hand, and the two of them slowly worked their way over to the light switch. Patton’s fingertips met the wall first, and he groped around. His fingers hit the switch, and he turned on the light. Virgil squinted and let out a low hiss, and Patton covered his eyes with his hands.

“You could’ve warned me,” Virgil mumbled.

“Oh, sorry. Do you want me to turn them back off?”

“No.” Virgil tiptoed up the stairs and cursed when he got to the top. “There’s a number pad to get out.”

“Let me take a look,” Patton said as he crept up behind Virgil. He stared at the numbers on the pad for a minute. “I watched Mara put in a code when she brought me down here.”

Patton’s memory recalled the exact numbers Mara used to get in, and the light turned green. The door opened with a loud clank, and it creaked open. Virgil chewed on his lip.

“Do you think anyone heard?” Patton asked.

Virgil shrugged. “Hopefully not, but still be careful.”

The two boys snuck down the hallway together. Every time a shadow passed, Virgil was pulling Patton down, leading him into an empty room, or holding him at the edge of a corner. Patton whispered to Virgil which way to go as they headed to the back door. Finally, they made it to the kitchen. Patton’s shoulders sagged in relief as he caught sight of the door.

“We made it,” he whispered. He watched Virgil’s shoulders relax as well.

“You made what?”

Patton and Virgil both froze. Slowly, like haunted dolls, they turned their heads. Mara stood in the doorway with two goons standing behind her, both with hands on their guns and ready to fire when instructed.

Mara’s heels clicked on the ground as she approached them. Her hands slowly clapped, and her head was lowered so she peered out from under her hooded eyes. She said, “Very well done, gentleman. You have no idea how unbelievably impressed I am. Though, I’m disappointed it took you two almost two hours to figure it out. I thought you were both smarter than that.”

Patton backed up until he met Virgil’s chest. He swallowed his dread down his throat and pleaded, “Just let Virgil go. He didn’t do anything to you.”

Virgil put a hand on Patton’s shoulder and growled, “And stop manipulating Patton to do your dirty work.”

Mara tilted her head back to cackle, sounding like the witch she was. She shook her head and continued to laugh through her statement, “Patton could’ve left whenever he wanted.”

Virgil and Patton’s dual confused expressions stared at her. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, adding on, “The game with Patton finding Logan is over. I don’t need him anymore. He could’ve left whenever he wanted, but he chose to stay here because of you, Virgil.”

“That’s… is that true?” Virgil mumbled.

“Go ahead. Ask him.”

Virgil’s hand slid off Patton’s shoulder, and Patton turned to Virgil to shake his head. “I did stay when Logan asked me to go, but i swear, Virgil, she never said I could go.”

“I didn’t?”

“No,” Patton replied, courage building in his chest. “Don’t lie to him to trick him.”

“I’m not lying. I told you, I only needed you to find Logan, then after that, you’d be free. You chose to stay here, whether you believe it or not.”

Patton snapped, “Well, I couldn’t just leave him! Once Logan told me that you stole him from his protection, I wanted to get him back home. You told me Logan was kidnapped, but he wasn’t. They freed him. And then you held Virgil here to get him back.”

“I didn’t, but go off.”

“Why else would you? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Because I was bored.” Mara started to slowly walk forward toward Patton. Patton didn’t shy away. “These past two weeks have been the most fun I’ve had in a while. As soon as I saw you were an amazing hacker, I thought about how much fun it would be to watch you solve a mystery if given the correct tools, and you didn’t disappoint me. It only took you three weeks to find Logan, which the police couldn’t even solve in 4 months, almost 5 now.”

“But what about Janus and all the information I hacked?”

“That was just a bonus. I’ll do anything just to mess with Janus. In fact, I was wondering if he’d come for you himself, Virgil, or if he’d trade back Logan. That’s why you’re still here, to see what Janus would do next. I guess he doesn’t care about you as much as you thought.”

Patton heard Virgil suck in a breath behind him, and he clenched his jaw. Patton mumbled, “So, all this, was just a game to be mean to people?”

“You got it.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a rich millionaire widow who has no idea what to do with herself anymore but play with her money and make people miserable for the fun of it. I won capitalism, so what else is there to do?”

“You could donate that money. Don’t you know how much people suffer? You could help so many people.”

“I helped you and your grandmother, didn’t I?”

“But I mean, without all this. Wouldn’t you rather give to people just to be a good person?”

“Well, that’s boring.” Mara said with a yawn, “much like this conversation. You won the game, boys, so go ahead and be free. Go to Janus and Logan for all I care. Just know that they abandoned you both here, so don’t be too upset if they don’t take you back. You’ll always have room here, and you know I’ll do anything to treat you well if they reject you.”

Patton didn’t back away, and neither did Mara. The back door clicked open as Virgil twisted the handle.

“Come on, Pat. Let’s get the fuck out of this fucked up funhouse,” Virgil growled.

Patton stared at Mara for a bit longer. He sucked in a breath to puff out his chest and mumbled, “You are a horrible person.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. Say hi to Logan for me if he still wants to talk to you.”

Patton pulled his fist back and struck before Mara could react. It connected with her nose, and there were two loud cracks. One was definitely Mara’s nose, and the other was Patton’s knuckles. They both backed up and cradled their injuries.

One of the guards drew their gun. Virgil jumped forward and grabbed onto Patton. He pulled Patton out of the way just in time for the goon to fire. The two boys took off for the door.

“Stop you idiot!” Mara screamed through her stuffed nose. “What the fuck? They’re kids! You don’t shoot at kids, you moron!”

Virgil and Patton raced through the yard and down the street. They didn’t stop until they were two blocks away. Panting, Virgil leaned up against the cemetery fence, and Patton put his hands on the back of his head to breathe better.

“Well, that was exciting,” Patton said, “We really gunned it to get away.”

“What was that?” Virgil snapped, making Patton flinch. “You just punch her out of nowhere while there’s two people behind her with a gun? If you’re gonna punch people, at least do it properly. Let me see your knuckles.”

Patton held out his hand and didn’t realize how much his wrist hurt. He winced as he turned it over. Virgil studied Patton’s fingers and moved his ring and pinky finger back and forth. He monitored Patton’s reaction, which was surprisingly neutral.

“Well, at least you didn’t give yourself boxer’s fracture,” Virgil mumbled. “But your wrist probably hurts, doesn’t it?”

“How did you know?”

“Because I’ve done it a lot. I’ll show you how to correctly punch someone later.”

Patton offered a pretty bright smile for an already bright day, and Virgil tried to emulate it. Patton sighed and mumbled, “I wish I didn’t give Logan my bus pass now. Then we wouldn't have to walk all the way to Janus’s house in the middle of the hot summer day in a strange- Virgil, are you okay?”

Virgil moved his other hand, which at some point cradled his left side, and noticed how red it came back. He hummed and mumbled, “I guess I got shot.”

“You guess?” Patton shrieked. He moved to Virgil’s side and lifted his shirt, but Virgil’s hand smacked his wrists away.

“Dude. Personal space.”

“You’re bleeding and you’re worried about personal space?”

“At least warn a dude next time.”

Patton sighed through his nose. “I don’t have any bandages. We should call 911.”

“With what phone? I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grab mine when we left, and I’m pretty sure you don’t have one either.”

Patton grew silent at that. His head whipped around. “W-we could knock on someone’s door. They might let us in to call somebody.”

“No, don’t worry about it. Janus’s place isn’t that far. I can make it.”

Patton stared at him, rather distrustfully, like he was going to take off to find help himself. Virgil pushed off the wall and headed toward Janus’s building.

“Besides, if Janus doesn’t take me back, I can’t afford a hospital bill, so I’d rather die anyway.”

“Virgil,” Patton started, but he didn’t finish. Instead, he chased after Virgil, and the two of them hurried as fast as they could to Janus’s building. Hopefully, it wasn’t too far and they’d make it.

* * *

“Out of my way, Emile.”

“No.”

“I will shove you out of the way if I have to.”

“Go ahead. I’m not letting you play into her hands again.”

“Last I checked, I was your boss, and I say get out of my way.”

Emile’s cold scowl answered him, and Janus nearly tore his hair out. Of all times Emile chose to be stubborn, why did it have to be now?

“You think I like this?” Janus snapped. “You think I want to play into her hands to get Virgil back? The kid needs us now, Emile, and Mara isn’t just gonna let him walk out the door.”

“Then send Remy. You know he’s capable of getting into Mara’s house already.”

Remy, who was perched against the wall and probably would’ve been munching on popcorn if he could, mumbled, “Hi, yeah, don’t bring me into your drama, please. Thanks.”

“I don’t see why you’re so calm about this. Why aren’t you off to find Virgil yourself by now? How can you stand there and do nothing?”

“Because I already argued with Janus and lost. Besides, I’d honestly rather watch you two fight it out. It’s more entertaining.”

Emile opened his mouth to retort, but he stopped as Janus tried to push past him. He grabbed onto Janus’s shoulders and stopped him. For a moment, all the two did was death glare at each other.

“Move.”

“No.”

Remy cupped his hands and called out, “Get a room.”

The two of them turned their gaze to Remy, who snorted and ducked away from their anger. As Janus got a lucky shot in to hit the elevator button, the doors opened. Janus froze solid at the sight. Emile noticed the color drain from Janus’s face, and he slowly turned around.

Inside was a boy with Virgil’s arm wrapped around his shoulder. Virgil looked ready to pass out, and the entire right side of his body was drenched in blood. The strange boy gave a too-wide smile and swallowed thickly.

“Hello,” was all the boy could manage to say.

Within minutes, Virgil was taken to the personal care center on the third floor and patched up. Fluids were pumped into his body to try and help replace the blood he lost. Thankfully, he never passed out until he realized he was safe. 

Janus sat on a chair across from Virgil’s bed, his hands clutching Virgil’s left one as he mumbled prayers under his breath. Emile, who stood behind him, looked up at Nancy, who wrote notes down on a clipboard.

“Is he going to make it?”

Her brown eyes snapped up, and she offered a smile. “Mister Virgil here should be just fine. He’s going to need a lot of rest though, which he’s not going to like one bit.”

Only then did Janus stop his prayer. He looked across the bedside to Patton, who was curled up in the corner and staring at the floor. Janus stood and gave Emile a chance to sit with Virgil. Patton’s eyes followed Janus, ready for the worst. Janus leaned down and sat on the balls of his feet.

“First, you hack into my system to steal Logan, then you save Logan, and then you stay behind to save Virgil, and you’re still scared I’m going to hurt you?”

Patton could only stare at him with watery eyes. He blinked a few times.

Janus continued, “I don’t know what your life’s like, kid, but know that I’ve got your back from here on out.”

Patton blinked, and his tears finally spilled over his eyes. He gave a watery laugh and said, “I was just doing the right thing.”

“Well, the right thing is going to get you a job offer.” Janus cut Patton off. “Before Virgil so graciously passed out, he mentioned something about your grandmother being sick and you needing a job. I’m a bit low on hackers if you know what I mean. So, what do you say?”

Patton jumped out and wrapped his arms around Janus’s neck. Janus cried out in surprise and put his knees on the floor to balance himself. He didn’t hug back, but he felt Patton’s shoulders shaking as he held in his tears.

“Thank you,” Patton mumbled over and over. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh yes, by all means, stain my suit with your snot and tears,” Janus mumbled. He caught Emile’s stifled laugh. “And no comments from the peanut gallery.”

“I didn’t say a word,” Emile defended.

Janus sighed through his nose. Patton pulled away, his hands on Janus’s shoulders, and gave the brightest smile that Janus ever saw.

“I promise I won’t let you down,” Patton said.

Janus couldn’t help but offer a smile back. Patton’s joy was so infectious it even made him feel something in his heart. Something warm and disgusting and constantly swallowed down his throat. He couldn’t say he hated the feeling, but it was definitely different.

Okay, maybe one more kid wouldn’t hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm totally cool with just heart comments, so don't worry if you have nothing to say! I'm thankful you even made it this far. If you'd like to keep up with me and my other works, you can find me on Tumblr @ altruistic-skittles
> 
> -Cat


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